Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise

More often than not, I avoid biographies, as the authors either have an axe to grind, are seeking some vainglorious attention, or fill the pages with a lot of salacious, unproven sensationalism under the guise of serious reporting. I am a big fan of Cary Grant, and took a chance on purchasing this biography through Kindle. I was very impressed by Scott Eyman's attention to detail and final product. In short, this biography does not fit into any of the three negative categories listed above. It is, overall, a balanced and fair look at a man whose journey was almost a real life version of "The Great Gatsby." (That character is actually referenced in comparison to Grant at one point.) Why do I consider this book balanced? SPOILER ALERTS: I learned some points about Archie Leach (Cary Grant) which do not put him in the best light (e.g., his bouts of megalomania which bordered on narcissism, stinginess, and not being the best husband – save for his last marriage to Barbara Harris). On the other hand, I discovered some things about him which were very admirable (e.g., his kindness toward Rita Hayworth on the set of "Only Angels Have Wings," his tireless efforts at raising morale during World War II on the Hollywood Victory Caravan, and his affinity for children that included his stepson Lance, and the child actors Ted Donaldson ("Once Upon a Time" and Paul Petersen ("Houseboat"), and of course, his daughter, Jennifer.) Perhaps the greatest impressions that stay with me are the "what would have been?" performances. Grant matured and became a better actor as his career progressed and – like many easily imitated performers of Hollywood's "Golden Age" – he's not given enough credit for his depth and talent. In one of his "outside the comfort zone" performances, he played an impoverished Cockney anti-hero in "None But the Lonely Heart," which won him an Oscar nomination, but did not fare that well at the box office. After this, he passed on projects (such as Hitchcock's "Rope" and Cukor's "A Star is Born") that were either not surefire moneymaking hits or which were too far afield of the "Cary Grant" persona (hence, "the brilliant disguise."). Interestingly, I think Jay Gatsby would have been tailor-made to his talents as it mirrored much his life, had a movie version of Fitzgerald's novel been filmed in either the late 1930s or early 1940s. Cary Grant is and was among the best of his class. And having read this, I look forward to discovering or rewatching more of his films.

I love Scott Eyman's biography of Cary Grant. The emphasis is on how the actor melded Archie Leach with Cary Grant. Some results were positive, some negative, and overall it was stress inducing for the human trying to coordinate it. Eyeman's bio is balanced, very readable, and never salacious. He deals with Grant's sexuality, avoids gossip, and lets readers draw their own conclusions. He talks about Grant's way with money, which is either frugal or tightfisted, depending on your perspective. Grant comes across as independent, grounded, ambitious, in search of himself, intelligent, kind and empathetic, elegant. It's a great book for reading on the couch on a cold weekend. Interesting, engaging, a real pleasure to read all the way through. I recommend it for Cary Grant fans, anyone interested in movies, and to those who enjoy reading about the interior journey of a life, in this case I'd say a successful journey.

At a tick under 500 pages this book required an investment of my time. I found myself skimming occasionally to get through some details I wasn't interested in. But this book held my interest. One thing I liked was the author did not try too hard to explain the gay rumors but briefly acknowledged there's some unexplained and odd things. At this point we'll never know because if there was any hard evidence either way it would have come out. The most often cited evidence is the living arrangements and close friendship with Randolph Scott. The author described this accurately and vividly; after reading it, my feeling is these guys were not lovers but really good pals. I also liked the fact that Cary Grant's quirks and narcissism were conveyed very accurately but the author did not dwell on them. By the same token, the author did not sugarcoat anything. Clearly Mr. Grant was a brilliant and idiosyncratic man and the details of this are well described and interesting. His fretful nature, his nervousness, his perfectionism, and much more, are all vividly described. I wanted more Hollywood gossip and dirt, and we get a fair amount, but that isn't what the book is about. I also wanted to know as much as possible about the LSD trips, and I was pleased that this topic was well covered and I came away understanding that facet of Cary Grant. I also liked the coverage of him having a child late in life, that was extremely interesting to me, and very well done.

Good book - gives feeling of what he was like. Not a scandal type book. Grant as stylish as he always seemed on screen. Interesting guy.

It was for my 88 year old mother. She enjoyed the book.

My mom really enjoyed reading this book.

This is an incredibly detailed and well researched book. Scott Eyman has a history of producing biographies and has done a remarkable job of covering Cary Grant's life from his disturbed childhood to his happy fourth marriage. Not only does it cover Grant's life but all the inter connected relationships with directors and fellow actors. Really enjoyed this book and certainly recommend it if you want to find out more about this iconic character.

Lots of fascinating photos from when he was young and an interesting picture of Hollywood from the 30's to 60's